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Environment

Construction of first US offshore wind farm due for completion this year

March 25, 2016
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The Block Island Wind Farm is expected to produce around 125,000 MWh of electricity annually
The Block Island Wind Farm is expected to produce around 125,000 MWh of electricity annually

Last year saw construction begin on the US's first offshore wind farm. The 30-MW Block Island Wind Farm will be located about 3 mi (4.8) off the coast of Block Island in the US state of Rhode Island, but its components are currently being constructed around the world.

General Electric (GE) is constructing the turbines on behalf of US offshore wind developer Deepwater Wind. The first sections of the towers upon which the turbines will be supported are being assembled in nearby Providence. The first direct-drive permanent magnet generators, however, is being assembled in Saint-Nazaire, France. Similarly, a variety of other components, including the blades and nacelles, will be shipped from Europe for assembly on site.

The wind farm's 30-MW capacity will be met using five of GE's 6-MW "Haliade" turbines, which the company says are some of the largest in the world. They have a diameter of 150 m (490 ft), which the firm likens to being twice the size of a Boeing 747's wingspan, and a height of 170 m (560 ft).

Once in operation, the Block Island Wind Farm is expected to produce around 125,000 MWh of electricity annually, enough to power 5,000 households and to meet around 90 percent of Block Island's electricity demand.

The Block Island Wind Farm is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The turbines are each expected to have a lifespan of 25 years, during which they will save an estimated 21,000 tons (19,050 tonnes) of CO2 compared to electricity generation via non-renewable sources.

Sources: General Electric, Deepwater

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EnvironmentWind PowerWind turbineGeneral Electric
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5 comments
Steve Smith
So how much will it cost per watt to produce this electricity? Everywhere I see communities switching to renewables like windmils the electrical cost for the consumer's in that market, are bled to death, financially.
DamonSamsil
Uh in the majority of markets wind power is cheaper then coal. If people are getting bled its because the power company is just jacking up the price because they are enraged that the wind is making so much power their profits are going down. In fact in several areas wind power is so cheap that they often have to give away the power to other power companies otherwise the wind turbines would overload the local power grid due to the fact that a wind turbine network in heavy winds produce more power then a nuclear power plant.
RelayerM31
Why use cheap reliable stationary solar panels when impossible to repair bird slaughtering quixotic wind turbines will do nicely? This is all about taking money from your pocket and putting in the pocket of the bought and paid for politicians and their handlers. It's a disgusting waste of money. I'm all about solar energy but this is just stupid. IF IT MOVES IT BREAKS!
LindsayRichards
Triple natural gas is a usual number for the cost. They say 5,000 homes, but when the wind is not blowing, they will get power from coal. When the wind is blowing, they will sell the excess back to the grid for the grid price. What a deal. The reason this is the only one in the US is everybody else was too smart to waste so much money. Taxpayers are paying for much of it.
Foiled
Look, to all you Americans who think that windmills are totally silly, and a waste of money.. It's not. The technology has been proven, refined and tested a lot. It works, and that's the end of it.
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